Peppermint Magic
by Glory2
Summary: The prince of Mirkwood is haunted by a spoiled spirit of nature with quite a peculiar taste...


** Peppermint Magic - Part One**: By Glory 

In the brown lands, after leaving the woods of Lothlórien and yet with a heavy heart, the Fellowship of the Ring continues its journey down through Anduin towards the unknown. There was no talk, just a loud silence and the kind howling wind of the East. 

A shadow and a threat had been growing in the heart of the prince of Mirkwood from the moment they entered those wasted lands, but he wouldn't dare to put his thoughts and feelings into words, afraid of causing even more disturbance among his companions. Gimli, who had been looking deeply into the west plains, turned suddenly to Legolas frowning 

'What's that smell?' he asked sniffing around. 

Legolas, completely immersed in his thoughts hadn't noticed that an intense peppermint smell floated in the air 'Smells like peppermint' he said a bit surprised. 

'Peppermint? But from where?' Gimli asked again. 

'Probably form a nearby tr…' But then he realized. The vast land was fully deserted. Not even a sad tree would grow by the bank of the river or any further inside. Both Dwarf and Elf knew nothing but to shrug in surprise. 

'Aragorn! Where's that scent coming from?' asked Legolas approaching his boat a little more towards the others. 

'What do you mean?' answered Aragorn ceasing to row for a moment and trying to catch any scent 'No, I perceive nothing' he said giving Legolas an understanding smile 'you must be tired' 

'Of course not!' Gimli interrupted rather angry 'I get the smell too and I'm not tired! A Dwarf is never tired' he assured proudly. 

'Boromir?' asked as last hope the elf prince. 

'Nay' and then he laughed amused 'Perhaps you've smoked enough weed from our lil' Hobbit friends here' he suggested 'you might be hallucinating!' 

This last sentence caused an outburst of laughter even from Frodo himself, making the tension that had ruled the Fellowship for days go away. 

Legolas's beautiful elfish face completely relaxed, making room to a slight smile. It was more likely that the supplies the elves from Lothlórien gave them were made of peppermint, and anyways, the smell was almost gone. 

But he soon found out that it wasn't something they had brought from Lórien. The kind wind of the East ceased for a second, immediately followed by an intense gust from the North with the same deep aroma and a whisper: 'Legolas' He got to understand from a voice both intoxicating and cold behind him that made every single hair on his body to rise. 

The wind stopped again and Legolas looked behind just to find a few peppermint leaves laid on the edge of the boat. In that moment, the air blew hard again taking the leaves making spirals to the front, where Aragorn caught one and looked back to the Elf's boat. The wind was calmed once more; Legolas's sight reflected fear. 

That night's watch turn was Sam's. As it was growing dark under the sky full of stars and a still bright last quarter of the moon, he wrapped himself in blankets and got closer to the fire in an attempt of shaking weariness away but he nodded sleepily, he couldn't help it, he was worn out. So, after a little while, he snored happily cuddled up beside the fire, as everybody else. 

Then, soft footsteps disturbed the quiet of the night, even if there was no living creature awake enough to listen to them. 

A svelte figure was approaching the camp; slow and discreet it passed in front of the fallen watcher and between the other 3 innocent Hobbits making its way to a one tree standing next to the stone wall under which Boromir and Aragorn laid in a restless sleep. 

Sitting leant on the bark of the tree with his eyes wide open, but still lost in strange dreams rested Legolas. The figure walked gracefully towards him, as if moved by the wind and bent at his side. Her dark eyes looked at the elf with a mixture of tenderness and curiosity; carefully she removed a lock of blond hair that fell over his left cheek. 'Legolas' she said in the same sweet voice and something seemed to tickle Legolas nose. Little by little and somehow scared, she got close enough to brush her lips against his. 

Legolas woke up suddenly frightened and his breath a bit shaken, waking both Aragorn and Sam as well. 

'What is it?!' Aragorn demanded to know. 

'I'm sorry!' apologized Sam 'I must have fallen asleep! I'm terribly sorry Master Elf! Are you all right?' he was obviously having a hard time. 

'Did you hear something Legolas?' asked again Aragorn. 

'No' he answered somewhat surprised of the peppermint taste on his lips 'I only' 

The eyes of the Elf, Man and Hobbit went to Legolas's feet; many peppermint leaves laid on the sandy ground next to him and once more, the wind blew them far away. Dawn was near, so none of them slept again that night 

****

'Spies of Saruman!' said Gimli when they told him about it once the Lady had risen 'Just as Gandalf warned, spies everywhere!'

'My, the thing that was missing: Spy plants' replied Boromir sarcastically 'Open your eyes! There's not even one sad bush around!'

'Certainly' Merry said 'It must have been something else, a beast maybe'

'But there is no place to hide at all' said Pippin 'how did it vanish so quickly?'

'It might have been a bird' suggested Frodo more as a question.

'Might have' considered Aragorn 'But still if we concluded on a bird, we would have the leaves riddle left.'

'Oh indeed! Peppermint sure!' Boromir interrupted somewhat annoyed 'this is folly those could have come out of any place; Legolas, in truth I ask: you saw nothing?' 

Legolas looked into the west, he seemed as if staring at a point beyond the reach of everyone's sight. Hadn't he seen something? Nay, it was true. But a presence kept both his mind and instinct busy. It was for sure not an evil presence but yet it was queer.

He once more tried remembering something, smacked his lips and closed his eyes attempting to concentrate. 

'However' said Aragorn 'we must do haste, for it is a matter that we at least get to Tindrock, there we can think about the next stage of the journey or worry about strangers, being what they may'

So with this words they got into the boats and the voyage went by in deep silence.

Aragorn's thought was troubled by trying to recall of any creature that, with knowledge and wisdom gained through experience, he knew possessed the strange facts of this 'being' who wouldn't show itself in any other form apart from green peppermint leaves.

It could definitely not be Gollum, the small creature had been following them since Moria and now it swam restlessly behind them; Sam had noticed so the night before and it still couldn't keep him form sleeping on his night watch. Aragorn shook his head taking the situation from a different angle, it might have been nothing really, perhaps the elf had a nightmare and the leaves on the ground would be nothing but mere coincidence. 

But Legolas knew it had not been a dream.

Trough the course of morning, while he rowed the little boat almost instinctively for he wouldn't really pay attention to what his body did, he had tried to remember what happened; anything at all, a voice, a sound no matter how insignificant it was. But there was not a new conclusion besides what he already knew.

Wetting his lips again he wondered why did they taste like peppermint when he woke up. And then he remembered.

He saw it like a vision in his mind, vague but firm and clear at the same time: beautiful hands, white and kind as a sculpture, the intense gaze of a pair of deep dark eyes, the same sweet scent and that intoxicating voice tenderly calling his name.

It had kissed him! Now he remembered, whatever it was it had brushed his lips. The single thought made him blush to his pointy ears, half shy and half angry. Just in time he recovered from the reaction, for he had realized that Gimli noticed the color change on his cheeks. Right, it was not a time for blushing. Though he now knew that this enigmatic being was probably female and that in any case and somehow she carried peppermint with her, there were still many questions in desperate need for answers: why was she following the Fellowship? Did she know about their burden? How could she possibly vanish from all sight so quickly? And why (and he tried hard not to blush again) why had she kissed HIM?

The fair elf prince never imagined that all his questions would find an answer before the Lady raised again. 

Though they meant not to look like it, each of the members of the Fellowship remained anxious and uneasy during that night's supper, cooked on a most humble fire, for they did not wish to claim the attention of whatever had been among them the night before.

Legolas mentioned nothing of what he had remembered in part because he still couldn't guess the nature of the figure and meant not to alarm his companions, but he, just like everybody else, expected something to happen. Yet the night went by, easy and without a single sound to disturb her dark calm.


End file.
